The Salvation Army in Yorkton has a new pastor.
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Lieutenant Samuel Tim arrived in the city to assume his new position.
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Tim is originally from Nigeria, moving to Vancouver with the Salvation Army. He spent nine years in the British Columbia-city, meeting his wife Mary there.
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Tim said they were looking for a move to a community like Yorkton.
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鈥淲e wanted to come back to a smaller city,鈥� he said, adding it鈥檚 nice being in a place where people soon get to know each other by their first names.
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The couple has spent the last seven years in Winnipeg and two in Toronto, before the move to Yorkton, a move Mary Tim was happy to make.
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鈥淚t was a chance to get back home to the big sky 鈥� I鈥檓 actually a Prairie gal 鈥� For me it鈥檚 coming back to my roots,鈥� said his wife Mary, who added her family roots go back to Ukraine, the family moving to Saskatchewan in 1886.
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Samuel said Yorkton will be a new experience in terms of ministry from the big cities he has been in since moving to Canada.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 different in a good way,鈥� he said.
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The biggest difference is the intimacy of a smaller community, one where his children meet their teachers in stores, and he meets members of his church far more often outside the church setting.
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The couple have two children, a daughter Bethany, 10, and son Benjamin, eight.
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Mary Tim said the broader interaction is a good thing. She noted a huge part of the job of a pastor 鈥渋s building relationships with people.鈥� In the case of her husband, she said he is naturally gregarious, so seeing people on the street in daily life opens a wider door to create those important relationships.
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Beyond beginning to build relationships Samuel Tim said he isn鈥檛 planning any immediate moves in terms of how things are done in Yorkton.
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鈥淚鈥檓 waiting to see what the needs are,鈥� he said, adding he wants to talk to local people who know the community best, before undertaking any changes.
鈥淚鈥檒l be talking to stakeholders about what is a void we can fill,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� Being we are new we want to find out what are the needs.鈥�
